Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) kept their hopes of making the playoffs alive after beating Delhi Daredevils (DD) at the Feroz Shah Kotla in match 45 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday. RCB who need to win each of their last three games if they hope to qualify for the playoffs, powered their way to a five wicket victory over the home side.
Chasing 181, RCB opted with an opening pair of Parthiv Patel and Moeen Ali. However, their ploy didn’t pay much dividend as both returned within the first three overs adding just 7 runs to the team’s total. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers then took charge of proceedings as they strung together a 118-run partnership for the third wicket. Kohli (70) moved through the gears quickly as he reached his fifty in just 26 balls. He was finally done in by an Amit Mishra beauty in the 14th over but by then RCB were well placed to clinch the victory. ‘Man of the Match’ de Villiers remained unbeaten on the night reaching 72 from just 37 balls. He ended the night with a glorious six off Trent Boult’s final ball in the 19th over.
Find the full match scorecard here.
Earlier in the day, RCB won the toss and sent in Delhi to bat first. Yuzvendra Chahal struck early as he dismissed both Prithvi Shaw and Jason Roy in his first two overs. Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer then put on a 93-run stand for the third wicket, but Pant (61) was first to go thanks to a spectacular catch by AB de Villiers in the deep. Iyer (32) followed him by picking out Kohli at long on with a mistimed shot, throwing away his wicket cheaply. Debutant Abhishek Sharma then walked in and grabbed his opportunity, announcing himself on the big stage in style, scoring an unbeaten 46 off just 19 deliveries. His late cameo was strewn with some brilliantly timed shots around the ground. He even hit Tim Southee for back-to-back sixes in the 17th over.
Catch all the highlights from the game here.
Turning point
The 118-run partnership between Kohli and de Villiers for the third wicket was the definite turning point of the game. AB de Villiers joined Kohli at the crease when RCB were 18/2, by the time Kohli departed in the 14th over RCB needed just 46 from 36 balls to win. Delhi’s inability to break the partnership cost them the game.
Best Dismissal
The best dismissal was the Amit Mishra turner to dismiss the in-form Virat Kohli. After being whipped for a four on the very first ball of the over, Mishra tossed up the next ball down the off stump luring Kohli into playing the drive. The ball however turned lethally away from Kohli and picked up and edge, surprising even Pant behind the wickets who did well to hold on to the catch.
Batsman of the Match
While debutant Abhishek Mishra was impressive in his late cameo for Delhi, yet, AB de Villiers is our ‘Batsman of the Match’. He put on a display of his 360-style of hitting the ball all around the ground as he tormented the bowlers right through the innings. He remained unbeaten on 72 off just 37 balls coming at a strike rate of 194.59.
Bowler of the Match
Youngster Sandeep Lamichhane who became the first Nepalese player to play in the IPL is without doubt the ‘Bowler of the Match’. The 17 year old, ended the night with figures of 1/25 as he dismissed Parthiv Patel for lbw in just his second over. He ended the night with 10 dot balls the highest among all bowlers and the joint lowest economy rate of just 6.25 against batsmen like AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli who were in fine form.
Captain’s views
Virat Kohli (RCB captain): The table is wide open and tonight was the right time for us to get a win. Playing in front of a big crowd, I think we had more support than Delhi which was surprising. We really enjoyed the game but I don't think we were clinical with the ball tonight. We should have restricted them to 160 max. But these guys batted well in the end. The chase was ideal from our point of view though. As batsmen we want to take on the responsibility of chasing down whatever total has been set.
Shreyas Iyer (DD captain): With the kind of start that we got, getting 180 on the board was more than enough to be honest. Unfortunately we weren't able to defend it today as well. There's a lot of positives with the bat but we aren't executing the plans we discussed in the team meeting from a bowling point of view. I'm not feeling any pressure as I'm able to bat well it's just that today was one of those days where I wasn't able to connect the ball properly.
What’s next?
Bangalore next travel to Indore to take on Kings XI Punjab on Monday. Delhi have a long break ahead of them as stay home for their next fixture against the Chennai Super Kings on Friday.
Points table
The win keeps RCB’s hopes of making the playoffs alive as they remain in seventh place with eight points from 11 games. Delhi continue to languish at the bottom of the table with six points from 12 games. Check out the updated points table here.
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